Their lamps and accessories add a touch of playfulness that I always find refreshing. I guess because it's not too serious, and who likes a serious room?

(pictured above)

Speaking of strays... Hoyt almost ran over a kitten in the road last week. So he somehow caught it and brought it home. I have been fostering this wild thing and I'm pretty sure we're the first humans he has ever been in contact with.

People always recommend easing into the cat/dog introduction- especially when dealing with a feral kitten and a highly energized 1-yr-old retriever. But I decided to do it the old fashioned way and just throw them together, see what happens...

At first they stared and pawed...

And now they're the best of friends.

His name is Little Larry.... and I guess this means we're keeping him.

03/02/2012

There are thousands of fabulous lights out there right now. You flip through the catalog and get excited about a fixture and then realize Oh, it's WAY too big for my house. So I keep running into the same issue with clients: why can't these fixtures just be shorter??

Most of my clients (including myself) have 9' ceilings so unless we're hanging something over a table the fixture shouldn't be over 24" high. Ideally you need something around 10-20" high. Which leaves us with... the flush mount category. I bet for most of you when you think of flush mounts this image pops into your head:

And if you are near a TJ Maxx HomeGoods store you should swing by to check see if they have any gourd lamps. Nine times out of ten you'llfind an inexpensive pair.I always do. Then I pace around TJ Maxx trying to decide if I should buy them or not, finally manage to awkwardly hold them while standing in a line, get irrationally annoyed after 5 minutes of waiting, put the lamps back, and walk out frustrated and empty handed. (P.S. This is how Hoyt shops ALL the time) Anyway, don't repeat after me us. If you see some good gourd lamps, think of me and wait patiently in line.

01/15/2010

A friend/reader sent me an email from Houston, Texas letting me know she now works at Chateau Domingue. After looking through the website she clearly meant to say heaven. I scrolled through the images sitting alone at my computer and said aloud

Oh.

my.

word.

Chateau Domingue is known for importing reclaimed materials and unique architectural elements from all over the world! All sorts of flooring, tiles, light fixtures and furniture. They have 15,000 sq. ft. showroom that I am going to need to see sometime very soon! I can't even imagine what beautiful pieces grace the floors.

I thought I'd spread the love before the weekend with some of their images that will make your heart flutter...

drooling yet ???

and my personal favorite...

Pick your chin up off the floor....

and have a good weekend!

<all images from chateau domingue- go check it out!!! The website a beautiful illustration of their unique vision. >

01/06/2010

When I shop for my clients I shop anywhere from Hickory Chair to Target. And sometimes, hoping to score a light fixture, I shop at Overstock. I was cruising through the website today and came upon this great chandelier for a whopping $189 !!!